Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,63
was, as Zoe had pointed out, the least it could do, considering it was most likely responsible for landing them in Avalon in the first place.
“How sure are we that we’re in Avalon, exactly, Zo?” Ken asked. “We could be in Antarctica for all we know.”
“Yes, Ken. We’re obviously in Antarctica, with all these trees and those mountains and that castle in the distance and this cottage over here.” The cottage in question had clearly seen better days. Its roof had fallen in at some time in the past, and its walls lay broken and derelict, dusted with frost. What few items remained, bits of candy too hard to eat, frozen moldy bread, unidentifiable debris, were scattered about, half-consumed by wild animals. Metal pots and pans lay dented and rusted in unsorted piles.
“It’s made of gingerbread,” Zoe muttered, rubbing at her cold nose. She prodded at one of the walls with a finger. “Or what used to be gingerbread, because I doubt it’s edible now. The sugar must have helped preserve parts of it over the years.”
“My fathers tell me there used to be a lot of gingerbread houses in Avalon,” Loki said. “Mostly used as outposts, in case someone’s lost in the woods and hungry.”
“More likely they all packed up and left for some other places with dentists,” Ken added, scrutinizing the broken mirror. “I think I’ve figured out the major flaw with these sanctuary setups. If the Cassim assigned to guard it was suicidal and traitorous to begin with, binding them to the place hoping to curb their behavior ain’t gonna help much. Also, I’d like to go on record and say there’s absolutely no way we’re going back the way we came out.”
“You think, Ken?” Zoe asked sarcastically. “We’ve got no phone reception, no cell towers.”
“And no Wi-Fi,” Ken moaned. “How am I gonna live without Wi-Fi?”
“What would have happened,” Alex asked Loki, the prince’s legs still visibly wobbling from their recent brush with death. “if the mirror was destroyed while we were all inside?”
“I don’t think you’d want to know.”
“I’ve heard stories,” Ken admitted, wincing, “about people never coming out at all, if it wasn’t done right. And those were the lucky ones. Sometimes people that get out aren’t as right in the head as when they went in. Or they come out missing a few important body parts. Remind me to thank Dex for not killing us the next time I see him.”
“I’m assuming the mirror wasn’t sufficiently powered up enough to take us all the way to London, so Dex had to send us to the nearest available spot. That, or the firebird took matters into its own hands. It’s more than capable of bypassing whatever barrier’s in place, preventing the rest of our group from entering Avalon.” Zoe sniffed at what remained of the gingerbread wall and coughed. “It’s definitely not edible.”
“What happened to the Cassim?” West asked, stray brown locks hanging down over one eye.
“Gone.” Ken frowned. “As is the sanctuary, probably. I don’t understand. Why would he let them in? He’s bound to the sanctuary. If it’s destroyed, he knows he’s toast.”
Zoe sighed. “Like I said, most Cassims aren’t sane to begin with.”
“Cassims are people convicted of murder using magic,” Cole said unexpectedly. “In Avalon, magic is a responsibility. Killing an innocent is the worst thing you can do with it.”
“How do you know that?” Zoe demanded.
Cole’s gaze met hers, slid away. “We’ve dealt with them before.”
Tala said nothing. She’d spent most of their discussion sitting back, staring at the broken mirror, waiting. A thousand reflections of herself stared back.
There was no way her father and the Katipuneros hadn’t escaped the sanctuary. Lola Urduja had never lost a fight. Surely she would have found a way to overpower the ogre and shades. It didn’t matter that the mirror was in a hundred thousand pieces. Any minute now, they were going to find a way to come through…
“Tala.” Loki slid down beside her, balancing themselves easily on the soles of their feet. Their voice was gentle. “We’ll have to go soon.”
But Tala had no intentions of moving. “They’re coming,” she said stubbornly. “Give them five more minutes. They’ll find a way. I know it.”
Loki paused. “I don’t think so, Tala. Not through this one. I’m sorry.”
Tala’s fists dug into the snow beneath her, ignoring the cold against her palms. “You don’t know Dad,” she whispered fiercely. “You think he survived all those years, only to lose to an ogre? If he really